The 2024-2025 academic year officially began on Monday September 09, with 350,000 students returning to schools across the country. Among them, 28,000 children are attending school for the first time. 

What’s new

This year a number of measures aimed at making education more inclusive are being implemented:

• One of the key initiatives is the increased support for students with special needs. As of September 9, 2,100 assistant teachers will be available, marking an increase of 200 from the previous year. 
• As part of the government’s broader effort to make education more inclusive, 238,000 students will receive free textbooks this year. This initiative aims to alleviate the financial burden on families, while students in special categories will also receive free books, further promoting inclusivity.

Context

The start of the school year is usually an especially chaotic day for traffic in Tirana as hundreds of thousands of parents accompany their children to school and try to stick around until the official start of the day. To ensure the safety of students and an orderly day in schools, 240 police officers have been deployed nationwide, 40 more than last year. These officers will be working in and around schools to maintain security and order. Additionally, Tirana’s municipality has introduced a new directive to reduce traffic around schools, limiting the movement of delivery vehicles between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.

What was said

Education Minister Ogerta Manastirliu highlighted the government’s focus on improving the education system with significant investments. “A successful start, with free textbooks for 238,000 students, 25 new schools, 216 SMART laboratories, new sports facilities, and highly motivated teachers due to a historic salary increase to €950 per month,” Manastirliu announced.

The Prime Minister also released a short video highlighting the investments while wishing students a successful new school year